Choose Your Own Adventure
by AZGirl
Summary: REVISED...Aramis, Athos, d'Artagnan, and Porthos have no idea which adventure they'd like to go on next. Includes all new material for chapters 1, 8, and 9.
1. The Explanation

_**Please Note! Important**_ **!:** Once I completed _Learning it the Hard Way_ , it was time for a new Musketeers story, but I couldn't decide which idea to tackle next. In the original version of _Choose Your Own Adventure_ , I asked for readers to use the reviews to vote for their two favorite options amongst the six presented. Many participated, and I thank you for your votes.

However, after the results chapter was posted, I was informed/reminded, via a guest review, that the format I used was not allowed by the content policy of this site. So, I decided to reformat/rework it instead of completely deleting the story, keeping the original chapter titles and adding in new content to the first and last chapters. If you'd like to see detailed results of the voting, please check out my profile page on this site. Thanks, and apologies for any confusion.

 **Spoiler** **:** Warning…There's a spoiler to the epilogue of _Learning it the Hard Way_ in the first chapter.

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"Every day brings new choices" ~~~ Martha Beck.

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 **The Explanation**

Aramis, Athos, d'Artagnan, and Porthos were exhausted after successfully completing the latest mission they had been assigned by Captain Tréville. The day after the soirée celebrating the King's birthday, they were assigned to escort and guard a small caravan of nobles returning to their homes.

The four Musketeers had not had much sleep the past few days, and were barely able to sit upright in their saddles. Athos suggested they rest for a couple of hours before resuming their trek back to Paris.

Agreeing with the idea, d'Artagnan led the way to a secluded spot he'd accidentally discovered during one of his first solo missions. Porthos, noting the odd, almost hesitant way d'Artagnan had mentioned the place, laughed and asked if the younger man's definition of accident included the words "I got lost" in it. D'Artagnan ducked his head in embarrassment instead of answering, basically telling the other three that Porthos's theory was absolutely correct. They all laughed, but Porthos and Aramis kept needling the younger man about it while d'Artagnan kept trying to explain things by saying it was because he had been still relatively new to the area at the time.

Athos, knowing how devious his younger brother could be, had long ago ceased in joining Porthos and Aramis in making fun of d'Artagnan. At one point, he thought he heard some mumbling from d'Artagnan, and felt sorry for his two other brothers. It seemed d'Artagnan was once again thinking of revenge. He shuddered to think what could be worse revenge than having to be on guard at the public latrines at the palace during a heavily-attended soirée.

When the four arrived at the secluded spot, Aramis was the first to note how the trees formed a near-perfect circle, which was interspersed with odd shaped boulders. The other three shrugged off Aramis's comment, and made a minimal camp, relaxing under the heavy canopy of branches and leaves the surrounding trees provided. Conversation, as they settled down to rest, revolved around what their next adventure would be.

One by one the four men slipped off into sleep.

Not long after, a rolling fog covered the Musketeers and filled in the circle created by the trees.

The four men began to dream…

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Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing this entire story all over again! Remaining mistakes are my fault.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	2. Option One

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option One** **: Two Roads Diverged**

When Athos's eyes suddenly opened, the sound of a pistol firing and familiar voices yelling indecipherable words were echoing in his mind.

He blinked several times, trying to see into the darkness surrounding him as he tried to calm his breathing and his galloping heartbeat; it took him far too long to realize that he was sitting fully upright in his own bed.

He'd had that dream again, one that had come to him several times in past months. Only this time, it had ended completely differently. This time, what had previously been a good and pleasant dream had turned into a nightmare. It was a shame really, because he generally had so few agreeable dreams given the circumstances of his life. … No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything more of his nightmare than the pistol shot and the yelling – two things that had all too often occurred since he'd become a Musketeer...

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 **Note** **:** The above text is from "Chapter One: Nightmare" of a story in progress called _Two Roads Diverged_. Story summary – Athos and d'Artagnan are attacked and wounded during a mission outside of Paris. On the road to recovery, long forgotten memories come to the fore.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	3. Option Two

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option Two** **: The Heirloom**

"Ah, d'Artagnan," Cardinal Richelieu said as the young Musketeer entered his office. "Thank you for meeting with me."

D'Artagnan lifted a hand and gestured to the three Red Guards that had escorted him, "I had a choice?"

"Of course you had a choice," the older man replied smugly. "You could have chosen to refuse my official summons, and I could've chosen to put you in the Chatelet for the night."

"Some choice," d'Artagnan quietly muttered, though it was loud enough for Richelieu to hear judging from the expression on the other man's face.

The Cardinal inexplicably ignored the impertinence of his attitude though the younger man had the feeling he would pay for that comment somewhere down the line.

Looking as though the cat had caught the canary, Richelieu sent the guards out of the room. …

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 **Note** **:** The above text is from a story in progress called _The Heirloom_. Story summary - Cardinal Richelieu calls in a debt that forces d'Artagnan to go to great lengths to repay it.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	4. Option Three

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option Three** **: "Unfinished"**

The farther away the four of them get from Athos, the more unsettled d'Artagnan becomes. Before they had even left, he'd had and expressed his doubts about leaving their friend behind, but he had been overruled. Over time, his doubts have become this overwhelming need to go back, and he feels that if he doesn't, then he will never see Athos alive again. He doesn't understand why he's feeling this way, but the more he considers it, the more certain he is that it was a mistake to leave Athos behind in that big, empty house.

At one point, Bonnaire's complaining about needing a break is finally heeded and they stop for a short rest. D'Artagnan is so distracted by the feeling that he needs to go back that he doesn't dismount at first. It's only when Porthos is yelling at him to get his attention that he realizes his decision is already made.

"I have to go back," d'Artagnan says to his friends. …

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 **Note** **:** The above text is from "Chapter One: Connection" of a story in progress called _Unfinished_ (draft title). Story summary – D'Artagnan and Athos discover they have an unusual connection, and have to learn how to deal with it and its potentially harmful side effects.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	5. Option Four

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option Four** **: The Beginning**

…The war with Spain sat at the forefront of his memories. It was during that time that they had discovered their immortality. It was a difficult, confusing time of transition for all of them, and their brotherhood back then had been strong…

…As he coughs, it takes Athos several long moments to remember that his three brothers had been with him when the incident occurred. Alarmed, he shouts their names, but with the ringing in his ears, he can barely hear his own voice, let alone the voices of his friends if they are trying to reply to him. He tries again as he stumbles around looking for the others, and eventually finds…

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 **Note** **:** The first paragraph is from the first Immortals story: _Broken Promise (Chapter Nine: 15 July 1844)_ , while the second is a few draft sentences based on my notes for _The Beginning_ , which is an origin story for the AU. Draft story summary for _The Beginning_ – It took the death of one of their own for them to discover that they were immortal. An Immortals AU story.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	6. Option Five

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option Five** **: The Death of Constance**

..."Even after all of these years, d'Artagnan still greatly missed the love of his life. She had been the first woman he had ever truly loved, aside from his mother, and Constance's death had devastated him."…

…"For three days after her burial, d'Artagnan had refused to move from the gravesite, and one or more of his brothers had kept watch over him the whole time. Worried beyond measure over d'Artagnan's lack of sustenance of any kind, as well as refusing to sleep or communicate with anyone, Athos made the hard decision to force the issue."…

After Constance's death, d'Artagnan retreats further and further into himself, until one day he just disappears. They find him in a gutter mostly dead from what Aramis deems to be alcohol poisoning. They are still learning the limitations of their curse, so they don't know how many times they can resurrect. It seems d'Artagnan is determined to test those limits….

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 **Note** **:** The first two paragraphs are from the first Immortals story, _Broken Promise_ , respectively, Chapter Three: _14 April 1844_ and Chapter Seven: _27 April 1844, Part II_. The third paragraph is a few draft sentences based on my notes for _The Death of Constance_ (tentative title). Draft story summary for _The Death of Constance_ – When they'd finally married, d'Artagnan's dream of being united with the love of his life had come true. He hadn't known at the time that the future would eventually bring eternal separation. A story set in the Immortals AU.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	7. Option Six

**Note** **:** Some of the content is different from the original version of this story. Please see chapter one for the explanation.

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 **Option Six** **: Animal Husbandry**

…"Threaten? I didn't threaten either of you," the younger man said, looking not-quite entirely innocent. "I just got bored, and decided to reminisce about my days on the farm tending to the horses and other livestock. _You're_ the ones who left when I started talking about the time a doe goat had to breech deliver—"

"Gah! Enough!" Porthos said, lifting his hands in surrender. "Now you're just doing that on purpose."

Aramis groaned melodramatically as he gestured towards d'Artagnan. "You see what we had to endure! Animal husbandry… You would've made a hasty retreat too, had you been here."

One of Athos's eyebrows rose of its own accord as he thought back to the times when d'Artagnan had brought up his former life in Lupiac. The Gascon rarely ever spoke of his family, but was more than willing to speak about what his life had been like helping to run his father's farm; a farm that one day might have been d'Artagnan's had a new path in life not opened up to the young man. Truthfully, Athos had never really minded the stories, gleaning from them various insights into his new acquaintance, and later friend, including unintentionally shared snippets about family and friends. …

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 **Note** **:** The above text is from _Learning it the Hard Way, Chapter Thirty-eight: Apologies_. Draft story summary for _Animal Husbandry_ – D'Artagnan rarely talks about his past, but when the mood strikes, he will tell about his days on the farm. Eventually, Athos notices an interesting pattern to those stories as well as a certain amount of intent when they're shared.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	8. The Results

_**Please Note! Important**_ **!:** At the end of this chapter is the summary of the results of your voting based on the original version of this story. Thank you to all those who participated!

Below is a new, revised ending to the story…

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 **The Results**

The fog quickly receded when, as one, the four Musketeers sat up straight from a sound sleep, sweating slightly and breathing as if they had just run a marathon.

With wide eyes, they sought each other out, calming as they saw that their friends were alive and well, though just as rattled as they were.

One of them swallowed thickly, and said, "Did you just dream—?"

The three other men nodded.

"And there were six—?"

The three others nodded once again.

"Was it just me, or did it seem like we were supposed to choose our next adventure?"

For a third time, the other three Musketeers simply nodded, looking even more rattled than when they had suddenly awakened only moments before.

"I suggest we not think about any of the options, lest we are forced to deal with the consequences, and leave this place as soon as possible. Agreed?"

Various versions of their agreement with the plan were spoken aloud as they broke camp as fast as they possibly could.

As they left the circle of trees, one of three who had yet to speak said, "You know, while I found two options that appeal to me more than the others, there is one which..."

"Aramis!" three voices yelled in concert as all four men were suddenly thrust back to a time to not long after they first found out Athos was one of the nobility.

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 _The end._

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 **Note** **:** I posted the original version of _Choose Your Own Adventure_ on this site (FF) as well as on Archive of Our Own's (AO3) website, and received a total of 63 votes between the two sites. The winning story was _Option Three: "Unfinished"_ with 21 total votes (FF = 13; AO3 = 8). If you'd like to see a detailed breakdown of the results, please visit my profile page for this site. Thanks.

In the revised/reformatted version this story, chapters 1 and 8 contain all new material. I hope you enjoyed!

I'm currently working on a few stories for another fandom. Once those are finished, I will go back to working on "Unfinished". Sorry, but I can't guarantee when I'll start posting. Thank you for your patience, and for helping Athos, Aramis, d'Artagnan, and Porthos figure out what their next adventure will be.

Until next time…

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	9. Bonus

**Note** **:** Here's a bit more of "Unfinished" (aka Option 3) to hold you over until I can start posting the full story. I added onto to what was already excerpted in Chapter 4.

Don't forget to check out the all-new material in chapters 1 and 8.

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 **Bonus Edition : Option Three: "Unfinished" **

The farther away the four of them get from Athos, the more unsettled d'Artagnan becomes. Before they had even left, he'd had and expressed his doubts about leaving their friend behind, but he had been overruled. Over time, his doubts have become this overwhelming need to go back, and he feels that if he doesn't, then he will never see Athos alive again. He doesn't understand why he's feeling this way, but the more he considers it, the more certain he is that it was a mistake to leave Athos behind in that big, empty house.

At one point, Bonnaire's complaining about needing a break is finally heeded and they stop for a short rest. D'Artagnan is so distracted by the feeling that he needs to go back that he doesn't dismount at first. It's only when Porthos is yelling at him to get his attention that he realizes his decision is already made.

"I have to go back," d'Artagnan says to his friends.

"Athos will meet us when he's finished with his business," Aramis said in echo of his words from earlier in the day. "We need to get Bonnaire back to Paris soonest."

"I know," d'Artagnan said. "But you saw how he was acting back there. He was haunted, not himself. Do you really think we should have left him to his own devices?"

Porthos looks at Aramis, a whole conversation passing between them without either of the two men saying a word.

Aramis sighs, gestures back the way they came, and says, "Go."

"Thank you," d'Artagnan sincerely replies, though now he is beginning to fear he might be too late.

As he's riding back towards Athos's estate, …

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 **Note** **:** The above text is from "Chapter One: Connection" of a story in progress called _Unfinished_ (draft title). Story summary – D'Artagnan and Athos discover they have an unusual connection, and have to learn how to deal with it and its potentially harmful side effects.

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


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